Tag Archives: Personal finance

In a report published today entitled: rents losing altitude, UBS says asking rents for apartments will probably drop by up to 10% over the next three years. © Rosshelen | Dreamstime.com Competition in the rental market is getting even fiercer. By mid-2017, 2.4% of all rental apartments were vacant. This level was last exceeded in 1998, when 2.8% of rental apartments stood empty, says the bank. Higher rental vacancy rates, expected to hit an all time high of 3% in 2019, are driving down rents,...

In a report published today entitled: rents losing altitude, UBS says asking rents for apartments will probably drop by up to 10% over the next three years. © Rosshelen | Dreamstime.com Competition in the rental market is getting even fiercer. By mid-2017, 2.4% of all rental apartments were vacant. This level was last exceeded in 1998, when 2.8% of rental apartments stood empty, says the bank. Higher rental vacancy rates, expected to hit an all time high of 3% in 2019, are driving down rents,...

According to Le Matin, economists at Swiss Life think the rise of the Swiss franc is over and predict it will weaken to 1.22 to the euro by the end of the year. © Valeriya Potapova _ Dreamstime.com At the same time they point to risks that could send the currency in the opposite direction, such as the election in Italy, Brexit negotiations and uncertainty surrounding government in Germany. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) abandoned its Swiss-franc-euro exchange rate cap of 1.20 in 2015 under...

According to Le Matin, economists at Swiss Life think the rise of the Swiss franc is over and predict it will weaken to 1.22 to the euro by the end of the year. © Valeriya Potapova _ Dreamstime.com At the same time they point to risks that could send the currency in the opposite direction, such as the election in Italy, Brexit negotiations and uncertainty surrounding government in Germany. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) abandoned its Swiss-franc-euro exchange rate cap of 1.20 in 2015 under...

In 2016, around 273,000 people, 3.3% of the population, received welfare in Switzerland. The number (not the rate) was 2.9% higher than the year before and 15.7% higher than 5 years earlier when the rate was 3.0%. Neuchâtel, the canton with the highest rate of beneficiaries © Olga Demchishina | Dreamstime.com Rates of those receiving government aid varied significantly by canton, ranging from 0.8% in Appenzell Innerrhoden to 7.4% in Neuchâtel. Other cantons with higher than average rates...

In 2016, around 273,000 people, 3.3% of the population, received welfare in Switzerland. The number (not the rate) was 2.9% higher than the year before and 15.7% higher than 5 years earlier when the rate was 3.0%. Neuchâtel, the canton with the highest rate of beneficiaries © Olga Demchishina | Dreamstime.com Rates of those receiving government aid varied significantly by canton, ranging from 0.8% in Appenzell Innerrhoden to 7.4% in Neuchâtel. Other cantons with higher than average rates...

©_Toscawhi _ Dreamstime.com - Click to enlarge The current rate of 8% is set to drop on 1 January 2018. Temporarily increased by 0.4% in 2011 to shore up funding for disability welfare, the rate will revert to 7.7%. The 0.1% difference between the new rate and pre 2011 rate of 7.6% is a new increase that will be used to help finance rail infrastructure. Switzerland has three VAT rates: a standard rate (8%), a hotel...

The current rate of 8% is set to drop on 1 January 2018. Temporarily increased by 0.4% in 2011 to shore up funding for disability welfare, the rate will revert to 7.7%. The 0.1% difference between the new rate and pre 2011 rate of 7.6% is a new increase that will be used to help finance rail infrastructure. ©_Toscawhi _ Dreamstime.com Switzerland has three VAT rates: a standard rate (8%), a hotel rate (3.8%) and a reduced rate (2.5%). From 1 January 2018, these will fall to 7.7%, 3.6% and...

Recently published international price comparison numbers show just how expensive life is in Switzerland. © Mike Clegg | Dreamstime The price of a standard basket of items, including food, clothing, accommodation, healthcare, transport, education and other regular expenses, was far higher in Switzerland than in the rest of Europe. In 2016, life in Switzerland was 68% more expensive than the EU average. The only other...

Recently published international price comparison numbers show just how expensive life is in Switzerland. © Mike Clegg | Dreamstime The price of a standard basket of items, including food, clothing, accommodation, healthcare, transport, education and other regular expenses, was far higher in Switzerland than in the rest of Europe. In 2016, life in Switzerland was 68% more expensive than the EU average. The only other countries close to being this far above the average were Iceland (+54%),...